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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will commission independent medical analysis of the health of Gulf War veterans, and their children born after 1991, based on clinical examination and assessed alongside comparable groups in the general population. [141952] Mr. Spellar: The Ministry of Defence announced in December 1996 that, on the recommendation of the Medical Research Council (MRC), it would fund two independent epidemiological studies of the health of Gulf veterans. One of the studies, being undertaken at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, is examining the reproductive health of Gulf veterans and the health of their children compared with a demographically similar group of personnel who were in the services at the time of the Gulf conflict, but did not serve there. This work is expected to be completed early next year. The other study at Manchester University examined Gulf veterans mortality and morbidity in comparison with service personnel who did not take part in the conflict. Results on mortality were published in The Lancet in July this year. Publication of a paper on morbidity is awaited. Once the results from these studies are published we will discuss the findings with the MRC and take advice on whether further research into the health of Gulf veterans' and their children is required. In addition to the epidemiological work which is questionnaire based, clinical examinations of over 3,000 Gulf veterans have taken place at the Ministry of Defence's Medical Assessment Programme. Independent clinical research into UK Gulf veterans has been undertaken at King's College, London funded by the US Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defence. Results are expected to be published in 2001.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

359 c70W;359 c68W; 141952

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Children Armed forces Fertility Health hazards Iraq-Kuwait conflict Medical examinations Research Gulf War syndrome Veterans

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk